1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a compression garment removably disposed on a post operative patient involved in body sculpting surgery. The compression garment is dimensioned and configured to assume an operative position and as such exert a predetermined, appropriate amount of compression on surgically affected portions including both the soft tissue and bony prominences of the patient's body in order to reduce pain, diminish swelling and avoid fluid accumulation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lipoplasty or other body contouring surgery procedures has become increasingly popular and is commonly practiced in many medically advanced countries throughout the world. Subsequent to undergoing such surgical procedures, the patient frequently encounters pain, a relatively extended healing period due to swelling and the accumulation of fluids, commonly referred to as “seroma”. In order to avoid or at least significantly reduce these problems, the patient is at least generally treated by subjecting the surgically affected areas of the body by the application of compressive forces. Typically, such compression must generally be less than 10 mm/hg. Compressive forces in this range are generally considered sufficient to reduce symptoms of the type set forth above but not enough to impair venous and/or lymphatic circulation.
However, conventionally available means to apply such compressive forces fail to consider the variations in the patient's body, such as, but not limited to the “bony areas or prominences” such as, but not limited to the iliac crest and/or the rib cage area. These areas of bony prominences, when subjected to the same compressive force as the soft tissue areas, are frequently subjected to abrasions and other injuries due to excessively high pressure being applied to these bony portions. In contrast, soft tissue portions of the patient's body, including the central part of the abdomen, are generally subjected to lower and sometimes inadequate compressive forces. This is due to a “tent” effect at least partially caused by the adjacent or surrounding bony prominences engaging the force generating structure applied to the patient's body. Accordingly, certain portions of the patient's body are under a lower compression and are accordingly more prone to develop complications, such as fluid retention and fibrosis.
Therefore there is a need in the medical profession for a device or assembly which is properly structured, dimensioned and configured to apply an appropriate compressive force to surgically treated portions of the patient's body. Such a proposed device should be applied during a post operative period so as to alleviate and/or significantly reduce discomfort to the patient by the reduction of pain, the diminishing of swelling and/or the avoidance of fluid accumulation, as generally set forth above. Further, such a proposed and preferred compressive generating device could, in at least one embodiment, comprise a compression garment secured in an appropriate closed orientation about the surgically treated portion of the patient's body in a manner which facilitates the application of the appropriate compressive forces. In addition, the structure of such a preferred compression garment should be such as to decrease the compressive forces applied to or in the area of the bony prominences, while increasing or applying the appropriate pressure on the soft tissue areas. The preferred compression garment would thereby prevent or reduce discomfort to the bony prominences while increasing the comfort and avoiding complications to the overall surgical site of the lipoplasty or other body contouring surgery.
Further, due to the advancement in body contouring surgical procedures, the surgically affected areas of the patient's body may involve a majority or substantial portion of the torso of the patient. As such, a preferred and proposed compression garment may preferably assume and be mounted on a post operative patient in a preferred operative position which may comprise, in certain applications, the surrounding of the entire torso area of the patient. Accordingly, when assuming such an operative position the compression garment is disposed in a closed orientation which is variable at least to the extent of accommodating patients of different sizes. However, an appropriate compressive force will be applied in surrounding relation to appropriate portions of the torso of the post operative patient.
Finally, the preferred and proposed compression garment may be applied directly to the outer surface or skin of the patient and may be disposed beneath an outer garment, wherein the mounting or removable securement to the patient may occur while the patient is standing, sitting or lying down, immediately after the surgical procedure. The versatility of such a preferred and proposed compression garment allows its use for relatively brief periods such as forty-eight hours post surgical procedure or as long as thirty days thereafter.